


Late

by dreamiflame



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Genre: Community: 15_minute_ficlets, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-10-05
Updated: 2003-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-21 23:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiflame/pseuds/dreamiflame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A pirate is never late, because most of the time, a pirate isn't expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Late

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for 15minuteficlets word 23. I marked where the 15 minute time came, though I kept going. Unbetaed, and somewhat rough.

A pirate is never late, because most of the time, a pirate isn't expected. So Jack is somewhat surprised to look up after ten minutes of very difficult stealth work to find Elizabeth Swann-Turner staring down at him with her hands on her hips. "You're late," she informs him, and it's a full minute before Jack can sufficiently get over the shock to answer.

"You can't do that," he tells her, and Elizabeth shakes her head, motioning him to shush. She takes his arm and drags him down the hall and into a room. Jack fights it somewhat, dragging in his heels. "You see, I'm supposed to surprise you. You're not supposed to be waiting, savvy?"

"You're late, I told you." Elizabeth finally lets go of his arm and Jack sways slightly as he rubs it. She has a good grip. William is sitting on a bed, so this must be their bedroom, and it's a very large bed, Jack is pleased to notice. Plenty of room for a happily married young couple.

William stands and moves to Elizabeth, hands slipping easily around her waist. "She's right. I thought you'd be back ages ago."

Jack flips his hand over, shrugging with his whole body. "I've been busy. And what are two newlyweds like yourself doing worrying over old Jack, eh? Don't you have enough to be keeping your minds on?"

Elizabeth rolls her eyes and steps forward, pulling again on his arm. Jack tries half-heartedly to shake her off, but allows her to steer him into a chair. "Where were you? Busy with what? Where's the Pearl?"

Jack settles into the chair (not nearly comfortable enough, by his standards, but if it makes them happy, who is he to judge?) He squints up at Elizabeth. "Were you always this demanding?"

"If I ply you with rum, will I get my answers?" she retorts, and Will makes a sound somewhere between a snort and an outraged gasp.

"Aye, that you might," Jack says, grinning. He ought to have figured on Elizabeth thinking of the rum. Lovely lass, she was. Will didn't know how lucky he had it.

Elizabeth pulls out a bottle from a chest and moves back across the room, stopping just out of Jack's reach. "Do you swear to tell us where you've been?"

"It's a boring story, love, really." Elizabeth is holding the bottle against her chest, and Jack isn't quite sure which he's focusing on more. He thinks the rum might be winning.

Will takes the bottle away, and Jack drags his eyes away from Elizabeth's bosom. "Well," Will says, uncorking the bottle, "we shouldn't be inhospitable hosts, Elizabeth."

"I think he'll just get drunk and pass out, and not tell us anything," Elizabeth says, rather pessimistically on her part, Jack thinks, but she doesn't stop Will as he hands the bottle over to Jack.

Jack takes a long swig from it and nods appreciatively. "Aye, that's better. Now, Elizabeth, love. What were you wanting to know?"

"Where's the Pearl?" Elizabeth is sitting on the bed now, staring fixedly at him. Jack takes another swig and wipes his mouth. It really is a rather boring story, by his standards, but if they insist...

"I've been to Tortuga, and various places around the Caribbean, love. Going where the ships are, savvy?"

Will leans against the wall and crosses his ankles. "Then why have you been gone so long? You missed the wedding."

"And you have my sincerest apologies for that, Will. But with the good Commodore no doubt in attendance, it was not exactly the most easily accessible event for a man such as myself." And that isn't exactly a lie. It had been damned hard to sneak into the church, and worse trying to sneak out. There had been utterly no way to actually speak to Will and Elizabeth, but they needn't know that. "I'm sure you both looked lovely."

Elizabeth snorts in a very unladylike fashion.  
(15-minute mark)  
"You'd know, Jack. I saw you there."

"You did?" It's different, speaking in unison with Will, Jack reflects. Not entirely unlike fighting together, but still, different. "You didn't tell me," Will continues, and Elizabeth shrugs.

"You didn't ask, Will."

"Well. It's good to know some things will never change." Jack raises his bottle to Elizabeth. "You, love, will always be right more than you are wrong, and will always have a plan, no matter how hare-brained that plan may be." He downs a large swallow and lowers the bottle only to have it pulled away from him.

Elizabeth sips from the rum, suppressing a cough, before handing it to Will. "Yes, I will," she tells Jack, and kisses him. And perhaps she is not as practiced as some of the other women Jack has kissed have been, but she is sweet, and Elizabeth, and that makes up for a lot.

She pulls back and Jack looks up at her, noting the flush in her cheeks. "Do you do that to everyone, love?" he asks, and Elizabeth colors lightly, but meets his eyes boldly nonetheless.

"No," Will answers for her, and Jack shifts his attention to the boy. It's only now that Jack realizes he must have woken them up, for they're both dressed in nightclothes. "Only me. And you. And like she said, pirate, you're late."

Only a part of Jack is surprised as they proceed to ply him quite readily with rum, kisses and the sweet play of their bodies.


End file.
